Seniors of the Week: Leila and Zoë Herman

By: Colin Jung, Anna Kim, Jacqueline Subkhanberdina, Andrew Yuan

Seniors Leila and Zoë Herman arrived at Exeter from two perspectives: one worried if campus would ever feel like home, the other eager for change in her daily routine. Though Z. Herman had the initial idea for them to apply to Exeter, both sisters have managed to become an integral part of the Academy’s spirit. Even as they followed diverging paths and magnified their own unique identities throughout their four years on campus, the one thing that keeps them inseparable is their shared ability to light up any room.

Z. Herman’s Exeter revisit day was a driving force in developing her eagerness to join the Academy. That day, strolling along the Academy’s paths as a prospective student, pushed her to reflect on how moving to Exeter would allow a switch-up in her daily routine. “I remember I would walk to my school every day [for] 15 minutes. I didn’t want to walk the same walk to school for the next four years. So I thought I should change schools,” she said.

“I know when she sets her mind to something, she decides that she wants to do it,” L. Herman said. Growing up in London until aged 10 and then moving to New York, the Herman sisters weren’t completely unfamiliar with the idea of shifting toward a new home. And though in the beginning L. Herman “wasn't really sure [she] wanted to come here,” the Herman sisters embarked together towards prep year at the Academy with courage and anticipation.

When L. Herman first came to Exeter, she didn’t expect to fit in. “I applied and I remember just thinking, ‘this place is so big.’ How does anyone deal with all these brick buildings and not get lost?”

Living within the Academy’s brick walls was also intimidating for Z. Herman despite her initial drive to move schools. “I remember thinking it was so big and so scary and everyone was so tall,” she recalled. “[They] had their life together and, you know, I was just like the stereotypical, super scared [and] shy prep.”

If you’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with either Herman sister today, you’d be surprised to hear that they worried about fitting into the Exeter community –– now their impact on campus is unmatched. Regardless of how they first felt coming into Exeter, both sisters are now driving forces in the community as students, athletes and well-loved Exonians.

The Hermans serve as role models for every hesitant incoming student, demonstrating how to find community and thrive in a place with buildings and people as tall as they are in Exeter. “If I were a new student, I would say to myself, ‘Ahhh, so this is how it's done!’” said

Z. Herman’s adviser English Instructor Patricia Burke.

Upper Ginny Vazquez said, “When I think of seniors that I look up to the most, I would say Leila is easily one of them. She’s got a kind of cool personality and it always looks like everything she does is with ease and elegance.”

Upper Regan Thomas described the comfort of Z. Herman’s presence. “There’s a noticeable difference when she’s not here,” she said. “She has made me feel so valid here...she makes me feel safe. If I’m nervous about something, having Zoe there eases my nerves. It’s nice to have someone I know I’ll always feel comfortable around.”

“Leila has helped me be honest with myself,” Senior Audrey Park said. “I feel like she knows me really well, and I can always go to her when I need reassurance or advice. Zoe is great at making decisions, and is unafraid to speak her mind, which I think makes her a great leader. She also walks really fast so we just end up trailing behind her anyways.”

They’ve also found ways to engage within their passion for STEM. Both sisters are co-heads of Exeter’s Science MATTER Magazine. The Magazine opened Z. Herman’s eyes to the world of STEM in a way like never before, despite being initially intimidated by the prospect of contributing. “I was terrified, but it initially got me thinking STEM could be for me. I really like the creativity that came with it,” she said.

L. Herman added on, “I think being at Exeter specifically has told me to think of science in the context of society and think of how humanity and science are linked and how one overlaps the other. The goal of scientific advancement is to help society,” she said.

While the Hermans are passionate about STEM, they also found their community in sports. Z. Herman joined the swim and softball teams her prep year, and the hockey team her lower year. “Even if I'm not good at sports,” she said, “I've always really, really enjoyed sports teams.”

Math Instructor Tim Whittemore spoke about L. Herman’s abilities. “She’s a good example of a well-rounded student who’s taken advantage of a whole bunch of opportunities.” he said. “You can fill the sentence ‘Leila is a ’ with a lot of different nouns. I’d say she is a well-rounded and happy person.”

Upper Lindsay Machado said that L. Herman’s personality was what drew her to L. Herman. “Her attitude is so refreshing to be around,” she said. “I think at Exeter it’s really easy to fall into the attitude of pretending that nothing is wrong, but I like how transparent she is about what the struggle is actually like.”

Park added, “She can make anyone feel good about themselves––especially when you see her across the quad and are greeted by ‘HEY SEXY!’”

“I really like her humor. I think it can be applied to a lot of different situations,” Machado added. “It’s something that I’ve learned from her myself as I’m transitioning into more leadership roles. Oftentimes the best way to deal with the challenges is through humor and it can really bring a team together,” she said.

Outside of the classroom, L. Herman is an avid athlete, which she grew into after coming to Exeter. “I didn’t really have any specific interests. I just started sports teams here just because I wasn’t super athletic growing up and now I’m on three teams.”

L. Herman talked about the community and friendships that come out of sports. “It’s just about being on a team and hanging out with people and getting to know everyone,” she said.

One such friend is fellow cross country and swim teammate Machado. “[Leila] is just a comfortable person. Someone who will actually understand the struggle and be able to laugh through it with you,” Machado described. “She’s a teammate in multiple senses of the word in that she is a friend, but also a staunch supporter.”

One of Machado’s favorite memories with L. Herman was at the start of their cross country races. “Most people will tell you at the cross country, the starting line, ‘Oh, don't worry about it. It's going to be fine.’ But Leila was not afraid to acknowledge how much pain we were actually about to be in,” she said. “It was so helpful to have somebody to actually acknowledge that they're going through the suffering with you and being able to laugh about it and actually relieved a lot of my stress.”

Park, a fellow swim teammate, admired L. Herman’s free spirit. She recalled a memory: “I remember when I went to watch Leila's first swim meet. She was doing the butterfly one, but suddenly she stopped and began to sink. At first no one noticed, but my friends and I all started yelling at the lifeguards to do something. Luckily, someone from the other team noticed and dove in to save her,” she said. “It definitely was not a near-death experience, but Leila decided to treat it as such. Immediately after the whole fiasco she decided to reassess her life and drop Death Chem so she could live a more full life.”

Like her sister, Z. Herman also excels in athletics. “I joined the swim team and the softball team, and I had never played softball before. I started my lower year. I did field hockey, which I also had never played before. I just like to try new sports and this spring, [I’m] joining the cycling team,” Z. Herman said. Teammate and upper Lila Busser, who met Z. Herman last year on the field hockey team, mentioned Z. Herman's determination as an inspiration. “Her determination, her work ethic...[Zoë is] a very hardworking person. When she knows what she wants, she will get it.”

Z. Herman certainly embodies resilience as well. Park recalled the time when “when a stall door fell on [L. Herman’s] foot and broke all of her toes. Everyone should ask her about it, it was quite the experience. She was on crutches for a few weeks and had all her toes in casts,” Park said. “She used the excuse to make everyone do everything for her––she had me bringing her meals and carrying her up the stairs with [her friends] Nuki and Oia.”

With L. Herman’s experience as an Exeter student and athlete, she shared pieces of advice she would give to younger students –– L. Herman jokingly said that good sleep habits were in shortage at Exeter. “If there’s one takeaway from this interview, it’s that preps and lowers need to learn to develop healthy sleeping habits,” she admonished, laughing.

L. Herman continued, “I think prep year was definitely very focused on grades. Although I still care about my grades now, there’s more than just your transcript and your GPA.”

Z. Herman also shared advice with her prep self. “I would say be more confident because I was really just so shy. I was terrified of everyone I spoke to in my classes. I also think telling myself that it would all be okay,” she said. “I was very stressed out for no reason. And I think just like reassuring myself that it would all work out in the end.”

“My big thing that I learned this year is to take advantage of Exeter while you’re here,” L. Herman said. “I didn’t realize, especially because we were away for a time [spring 2020]. I didn’t realize how quickly the years go. We have some really special people on campus. I wish I’d made more of an effort to get to know people out of my classes and clubs.”

Z. Herman agreed and said that the backbone of her time at Exeter was the connections she made along the way with students. “The friends I’ve made have really made Exeter a place for me,” she reminisced. “I really feel like I belong at Exeter because of the friends I’ve made, not because of any academics or clubs or anything, just friends.”

I remember as a prep, I was looking up to seniors in my dorm and thinking that these people have everything together. They seem like they know exactly what they want to do, [but] then only to realize, as I grew up, that seniors are just the same as everybody else and still don’t really know how everything works,” she said. “But I feel like throughout my time at Exeter, I grew into the person that I am now.”

Park, however, thinks that both sisters have not only excelled at being friends and upperclassmen mentors, but have demonstrated an impressive development in character. “I think Zoe and Leila have both become more outspoken and confident over the years. They're definitely not afraid to tell us if our outfits look terrible,” she joked. “I'm really lucky to have been friends with them since prep fall, so I've also been able to see their humor grow.”

Z. and L. Herman have each breathed life into various communities on campus throughout their time at Exeter, serving as a pillar of support, love and dedication. They’ve spent these years laughing, growing and drawing everybody in for the ride.